Drift free spraying apparatus

ABSTRACT

A towable spraying device for attachment to a tractor, truck, or the like, for drift free spraying of chemicals such as herbicides and pesticides in a confined area in any wind condition. An elongated surface engaging spray housing is provided for attachment to a towing vehicle and includes an inner tubular member having a plurality of nozzles thereon for dispensing spray therefrom between fore and aft, elongated flexible baffles constructed upon the housing. The flexible baffles comprise lower portions of the fore and aft wall sections of the housing which permit same to engage and glide over rough terrain while substantially confining the spray therein. Spray such as insecticides can therein be applied to foliage and other ground surfaces in a controlled manner wherein extraneous contamination must be prevented.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an apparatus for spraying chemicals, and, moreparticularly, to a herbicide spraying unit adapted for towableattachment to a tractor to facilitate drift free spraying.

It is generally the practice when spraying chemicals such as herbicidesand insecticides to eject the chemical in a fine mist upon the foliagebeing treated. Oftentimes however, winds cause the mist to drift awayfrom the subject foliage before same is contacted. This creates twoproblems. First, the purpose of the spraying is frustrated in that thesubject foliage is not treated. Secondly, the drift of the spray oftencontacts areas which are detrimentally affected by the spray. Thistwofold problem has been addressed by certain prior art spraying deviceswhich have provided "focusing" spray nozzles which intensify the spraystream to reduce drift contamination. However, such devices generallyalter the mist characteristics of the chemical and reduce the treatmenteffectiveness thereof.

Other prior art approaches to reducing spray contamination caused bydrift have included spray bars designed for use very close to thesprayed surface whereby the spray pressure can be substantially reduced.Such an effect reduces mist drift but also reduces the rate at which thechemical can be applied as well as the mist characteristics.Furthermore, nozzle modifications for controlling mist drift aregenerally inconsistent with optimal spraying configurations from atechnical standpoint.

It would be an advantage therefore to provide spraying apparatus whichcould incorporate optimal spray nozzle configurations in an assemblyproviding confined spray application and the elimination of driftcontamination. The invention of the present system is constructed forjust such a purpose. The spray bar is enclosed in an elongated housingadapted for ambulatory surface engagement. The housing includes flexiblymounted fore and aft walls for conforming to uneven surfaces over whichthe housing is permitted to glide. The spray from the spray bar isconfined therein during all wind conditions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to apparatus for towable ambulation behind avehicle to effect confined spraying of underlying foliage. Moreparticularly, one aspect of the invention includes an improved sprayingapparatus of the type adapted for ambulation in connection with avehicle and having a spray bar mounted in communication with a fluidpump and reservoir assembly adapted for emitting fluid in a mistconfiguration upon the surface to be sprayed through nozzles provided inthe spray bar. The improvement in the spraying apparatus comprises anelongated housing having fore and aft walls adjacent first and secondend walls and including the spray bar mounted therein for confinedspraying therefrom. The housing includes a top wall interconnecting thefore, aft and side walls and is opposite an open lower portion adaptedfor abutting the surface to be sprayed. The fore and aft walls eachinclude an elongated section flexibly mounted to the walls and adaptedfor abutting engagement with the surface to be sprayed and conformationwith nonplanar areas thereof for confining spray thereon. The first andsecond end walls depend from the top wall in rigid interengagementtherewith for supporting the housing upon the surface to be sprayedduring travel thereover and confining the sprayed mist therebetween andbetween the fore and aft walls.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A complete understanding of the present invention will be obtained fromthe following detailed description thereof when read in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of apparatus for sprayingchemicals in a confined area as constructed in accordance with theprinciples of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational cross-sectional view of the housing andspray bar of the apparatus of FIG. 1 taken along lines 2--2 thereof;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational, cross-sectional view of the housing andspray bar of FIG. 1 taken along lines 3--3 thereof;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 connected to atruck through an adjustable hitch; and

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 4illustrating the operation and adjustability of the supporting hitch.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring first to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view ofapparatus 10 for drift free spraying of chemicals such as herbicides,insecticides and/or pesticides in a confined area. A housing 12 of theapparatus 10 is preferably coupled to a conventional tractor (not shown)for towable operation over a surface 16 to be sprayed. The housing 12 isconstructed of an elongated top wall 18 rigidly interconnecting oppositeend walls 20 and 22, and fore and aft walls 24 and 26, respectively.Wheels 14 and 15 are provided outwardly of aft wall 26 for mobilesupport thereof. The bottom portion 28 of the housing 12 is open and isadapted for abuttingly facing surface 16 in close proximity thereto toconfine spray thereon and prevent spray drift therefrom.

The housing 12 is preferably constructed of rigid sheet or plate metal,preferably welded one to the other and surface treated to resist thecorrosive effects of the various types of conventional chemical sprayscommonly utilized. A yoke assembly 30 is secured upon, and upstandsfrom, the top wall 18 of the housing 12 for coupling to the tractor (notshown) or similar vehicle adapted for towing ambulation thereof as willbe discussed in more detail below. The yoke 30, of the particularembodiment shown herein, thus includes port and starboard A-frame struts32 and 34, respectively, interconnected through an upper pivot frame 36.Lower port and starboard pivot frames 38 and 40 are pivotally connectedto the base of the struts 32 and 34, respectively. An hydraulic system(not shown) of conventional design for vehicles such as tractors ispreferably provided for vertical, rectilinear movement of the housing 12of this particular embodiment. The three point support of the housing 12through the respective A-frame struts 32 and 34 thus facilitates suchbidirectional actuation atop the surface to be sprayed.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a front elevational,cross-sectional view of the housing 12, illustrating the securement of aspray bar 44 therein. Spray bar 44 is preferably conventional design,incorporating a plurality of spray nozzles 46 thereon. Nozzles 46 arepreferably angulated toward the surface 16 for the delivery of spraythereto. The bar 44 is provided in a length generally equivalent to thelength of the housing 12 for the complete application of the selectchemical in mist form to the faced surface 16 therebelow. The chemicalis provided to the spray bar 44 through a fitting 48 seated through thetop wall 18 of the housing 12. A flexible hose 50 carries the chemicalthereto from a pump and reservoir assembly shown diagrammatically aselement 13, disposed upon and secured to the tractor or appropriatevehicle. The pump is preferably of the type adapted to be powered by theconventional power train of vehicles such as tractors.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a side elevational,cross-sectional view of the housing 12, illustrating the angulardeflection of the lower sections of fore and aft walls 24 and 26,respectively. Fore wall 24 may thus be seen to be comprised of a lowerflexible section 54, connected along a hinge 56 to the upper wallsection 58 thereof. Upper wall 58 is preferably rigidly secured to thetop and side walls of the housing 12 through welding, or the like, andis preferably made of similar material. The lower flexible section 54 ispreferably formed of rubber, or the like, which is adapted forconforming to irregularities on the surface 16. For purposes of exampleonly, "Neoprene" rubber of a thickness on the order of one-half inch hasbeen found satisfactory. Such a material and thickness is durable enoughto withstand the application of corrosive chemicals such asinsecticides, herbicides and/or pesticides of conventional manufacture.

Still referring to FIG. 3, there is shown the construction of aft wall26, being comprised of a lower flexible section 60 connected along ahinge 62 to the upper wall section 64 thereof. Upper wall 64 ispreferably rigidly secured to the top and side walls of the housing 12through welding, or the like, and is, also, preferably made of similarmaterial. The lower flexible section 60 is also preferably formed ofrubber, or the like, adapted for conforming to irregularities on thesurface 16. It may be seen that both flexible sections 54 and 60 areinclined in general parallelism with an angulation toward the fore wall24. In this manner the flexible sections 54 and 60 glide over thesurface 16 with least resistance while serving as baffles to confinespray within the housing 12.

In operation the tractor or suitable vehicle drive assembly powers thepump and reservoir to provide a spray emission as shown most clearly inFIG. 3. The spray, such as herbicides, is unaffected by wind currentsoutside the housing 12 and is applied to the foliage thereunder in theoptimal mist configuration which, due to the wind free operation may beadjustably selected for specific applications. The particular structuralembodiment of the apparatus 10 permits the housing 12 to glide over thesurface 16 in very close proximity thereto. Unlike most prior artstructures, this relationship is maintained in bumpy terrain and thedegree of drift from wind blowing under the housing 12 is effectivelynegated. Due to the rectilinear translation of the housing 12 providedthrough the yoke 30 when engaging a tractor having a hydraulic systemthe apparatus 10 is never incapacitated due to the surfaceirregularities of any size. With a conventional hydraulic float settingon the yoke 30 the housing 12 can be rendered effectively weightlessand/or suitably light to ride over furroughs and moguls. In this mannerherbicides, fertilizers and surface treatment chemicals can be emittedin areas such as domed football stadiums without risk of lateral spraycontamination. It is also possible to provide substantially equivalentfunctional results with vehicles not having hydraulic systems asdiscussed below.

As shown most clearly in FIG. 4, the sprayer 10 is showed secured to atruck 70 through one embodiment of an adjustable hitch 72 for towingtherewith. The hitch 72 is comprised of a tongue 74, split yoke 76 andadjustment linkage 78. The yoke 76 engages the yoke 30 of the sprayer 10through pivot frames 38 and 40. The sprayer 10 is then permitted topivot about the wheels 14 and 15 and frames 38 and 40 through lengthchanges in linkage 78. The linkage 78 is preferably constructed in theform of a turnbuckle having upper and lower threaded members 84 and 86,one of which incorporates lefthanded threads and the other righthandedthreads. A compatible, center threaded unit 88 is provided for receivingand coupling said threaded members. As unit 88 is rotated the length ofthe linkage 78 is varied to cause selected pivoting about the wheels andheight adjustment relative to the ground 16.

Referring now to FIG. 5 there is shown via the use of phantom lines aside elevational view of the sprayer 10 being adjusted relative to theground 16. As may be seen from this illustration, adjustments in thelinkage 78 impart latent movements to the tongue 74 and angulation ofthe sprayer 10 about the wheels 14 and 15. Since the wheels 14 and 15are disposed substantially to the rear of the sprayer 10, angularmovement thereacross is manifested in the main in height adjustment ofsaid sprayer relative to the ground 16, although minor angular changesdo occur. In this manner, once the wheels 14 and 15 are set for properheight relative to the sprayer 10, actual unit elevation adjustments maybe easily facilitated through the linkage 78. Other ground curvature andrelated nonplanar areas are compensated for by the flexible sectionsdiscussed above.

It is thus believed that the operation and construction of the inventionwill be apparent from the foregoing description. While the sprayapparatus thereof and turn hitch therefor shown and described have beencharacterized as being preferred, it will be obvious that variouschanges and modifications may be made without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An improved spraying apparatus for pulling behinda vehicle over rough terrain and having a spray mechanism mounted incommunication with a fluid pump and reservoir assembly adapted foremitting fluid in a mist upon a surface to be sprayed, said apparatuscomprising:an elongated housing having fore and aft walls adjacent firstand second end walls and including the spray mechanism mounted thereinfor confined spraying; said housing having a top wall interconnectingsaid fore, aft and end walls and opposite an open lower portion openingtoward the surface to be sprayed; said fore and aft walls each includingan elongated section attached to said fore and aft walls and suitablefor passing in close proximity to non-planar areas of the surface forconfining spray within said housing; said first and second end wallsdepending from said top wall for rigidly supporting said housing uponthe surface to be sprayed during travel thereover and confining thesprayed mist therebetween and between said fore and aft walls; saidhousing including at least one wheel for engaging the surface to besprayed, said wheel being disposed to the rear and outwardly of said aftwall in rearward support of said housing, wherein said housing isadapted to be coupled to said vehicle in towable interconnection througha yoke assembly secured thereto; said yoke assembly comprising a tonguehaving means for coupling to said vehicle on one end and a split yokesecured from the other end, said split yoke being attached to saidspraying apparatus for towable engagement therewith, and having anadjustment linkage upstanding thereon for determining the angularorientation of said spraying apparatus relative to the surface to besprayed.
 2. An improved spraying apparatus as set forth in claim 1wherein said spray mechanism is mounted adjacent said top wall andparallel to said fore and aft walls with the mist directed toward saidopen lower portion.
 3. An improved spraying apparatus as set forth inclaim 1 wherein said fore and aft walls each include a rigid uppersection interconnecting said top wall and said first and second endwalls and wherein said elongated sections are hingedly connected to saidfore and aft walls.
 4. An improved spraying apparatus as set forth inclaim 3 wherein said elongated, hingedly connected sections of said foreand aft walls are comprised of elongated rubber partitions hingedlyconnected thereto and adapted for conforming to irregularities in thesurface to be sprayed.
 5. An improved spraying apparatus as set forth inclaim 1 wherein said adjustment linkage is a turnbuckle and said splityoke is pivotally attached to said spraying apparatus.
 6. An improvedspraying apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein a pair of wheelsextend rearwardly of said spraying apparatus for support thereof andwherein angular orientation of said spraying apparatus relative to thesurface to be sprayed is manifested through angulation about saidwheels.